A miles-long oil slick on the Alaskan Way viaduct this morning caused southbound lanes on the elevated roadway to be shut down from 4am until 8:30ish.
Traffic diverted elsewhere. No lightning flashed, no toads rained from the sky.
Are a SURE we need to replace it with a tunnel???
September 4, 2009
August 6, 2009
A Ginormous Tragedy
While you wouldn't think the health insurance reform debate ventures into green territory, a current experience of mine does exactly that.
It's a clear, compelling example of The Tragedy of the Commons. My insurance company is saving money, savings physically represented by petroleum-based material that ends up in the landfill. The mail-order pharmacies don't offer styrofoam mailback.
- My health insurance company took away my choice of pharmacy. I usually go to Bartell, but for one particular drug I need, my insurance made me choose between two national mail order pharmacies. This is being done for excellence in service and for your convenience, the letter read. In reality I tried both companies, and one was incompetent and the other one involved a lengthy intake interview. Like they think they're my doctor. And they'll be calling me every month when I need a refill for another friendly chat. Yessss, much more excellent and convenient. With Bartell (which is located right down the street) I can call the automated refill line and be done in less than a minute.
- Of course the real reason my insurance has taken away my choice is because it saves money, i.e. it allows them to make more money (because it is one of the Blues, they put the money into their ginormous reserve and give their executives massive salaries).
- The green connection involves the way the mail order pharmacies send me my prescription: with massive amounts of styrofoam packaging. It has to be refrigerated, so what UPS drops on my porch is a massive box containing a ginormous styrofoam vault as well as gel cold packs.
- I get to throw all that packaging away. More precisely, I get to pay to throw it away, either via municipal trash pickup or by transporting it 23 miles to Ikea.
It's a clear, compelling example of The Tragedy of the Commons. My insurance company is saving money, savings physically represented by petroleum-based material that ends up in the landfill. The mail-order pharmacies don't offer styrofoam mailback.
July 29, 2009
Maron subbing on "Ring Of Fire"
Marc Maron has Tweeted that he's filling in for Papantonio and RFK Jr. this weekend on Air America. Check with your local station.
July 16, 2009
June 20, 2009
Maron Down Under
I was trying to find a video for the Australia Channel 10 show "Good News Week," and look what I found instead: a clip of Marc Maron competing on one of the show's silly game segments.
June 19, 2009
What are you people afraid of?
Pollsters are supposedly finding that 70-75% of respondents favor some kind of single payer national health insurance. The right wing is going to ramp up its anti-single payer propaganda to eat away at that majority.
A lot of the progressive talk programs I've been listening to of late have been getting calls from the 25-30% who are against single payer. The thing is, most of them have trouble articulating their reasons.
It's really sad to hear their plaintive reasoning: if only everyone could take responsibility for themselves (in an employee-based coverage system?); if only we give the free market a chance (how can a choice be free if you must have coverage?); a government-run plan will lead to rationing (we have rationing now -- appointments and pre-authorization).
After listening to the fear I hear in their voices, I suddenly hit on what I think is the underlying cause of those fears.
The Resmuglicans keep screaming things like, "do you want a bureaucrat between you and your doctor?" I think the fear being triggered isn't fear of government, so much as the fear that the government will operate health insurance the same way the private insurance companies do now -- if not worse. And single payer would mean no recourse.
I think what people aren't realizing is that the reason for the private insurance system being such a miserable one wouldn't exist under single payer. Insurance companies create profits by denying claims, whereas under single payer there is no profit motive, and therefore no reason for a bureaucrat to deny claims! And because the federal government can run deficits, budget ceilings do not have to be a cause for denial of coverage either.
Under single payer, if you're a citizen, legal resident or legal visitor, you'd be covered.
A lot of the progressive talk programs I've been listening to of late have been getting calls from the 25-30% who are against single payer. The thing is, most of them have trouble articulating their reasons.
It's really sad to hear their plaintive reasoning: if only everyone could take responsibility for themselves (in an employee-based coverage system?); if only we give the free market a chance (how can a choice be free if you must have coverage?); a government-run plan will lead to rationing (we have rationing now -- appointments and pre-authorization).
After listening to the fear I hear in their voices, I suddenly hit on what I think is the underlying cause of those fears.
The Resmuglicans keep screaming things like, "do you want a bureaucrat between you and your doctor?" I think the fear being triggered isn't fear of government, so much as the fear that the government will operate health insurance the same way the private insurance companies do now -- if not worse. And single payer would mean no recourse.
I think what people aren't realizing is that the reason for the private insurance system being such a miserable one wouldn't exist under single payer. Insurance companies create profits by denying claims, whereas under single payer there is no profit motive, and therefore no reason for a bureaucrat to deny claims! And because the federal government can run deficits, budget ceilings do not have to be a cause for denial of coverage either.
Under single payer, if you're a citizen, legal resident or legal visitor, you'd be covered.
June 17, 2009
Video: Palinites protest Letterman
No cries of "Letterman is a Muslim terr'rist, kill him!" But still fun!
"Alinksy and ACORN."
Also: Baked Alaskan by Todd Palin - "Where's MY apology?"
"Alinksy and ACORN."
Also: Baked Alaskan by Todd Palin - "Where's MY apology?"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)